Awe shucks, I'm blushing!

Dear sweet Patti at Stitching in Lobster Land has awarded me with this Kreativ Blogger award.

I don't know what to say, I'm completely blown away by it!



Thank you so much Patti!

Now on to the rules:

Here are the rules for this award:
• The winner may put the logo on her blog.
• Put a link to the person you got the award from.
• Nominate 5 blogs.
• Put links to the blogs.
• Leave a message for your nominees.

Oh gosh, there are so many blogs out there that I read and so many that are Kreativ! It's hard to choose just 5! Can I choose 98,354 to pass the award on?

Alexa

Sue

Jeanne

Sherry

Sandra

These blogs are inspirational, funny, thought provoking and, all in all, wonderful places to visit! Plus they have great stitching pictures!!!

Go check them out!!

On the stitchy side, I've worked on my Hungarian Sampler and dare I say it, a Christmas gift. I think I'm going to have to stitch the gift exclusively for awhile so I don't get too far behind and not have it ready for Santa. I'll be rotating it with the Hungarian sampler and Beatrix as they are the 2 projects holding my interest now.

And on another note, I started to paint again so stay tuned for some decorative painting that I'll be selling throughout Autumn and early Winter....I am working on some Halloween goodies and Harvest things too. The painting muse is back from her vacation in Tahiti so it's time to rev up the brushes and squirt out the paint onto my palette.

A Second Sunday Post - Hungarian Sampler

As you know, I came across this sampler on the Hungarian Sampler SAL blog a few months ago and it's been on my mind ever since I stumbled across it. I am of Hungarian descent and to be honest, my Dad was a very proud Hungarian. So when I came across the SAL, I knew that I had to stitch it.

This is Ili's finished work. It is so beautiful!



I bugged her and other members of the blog to recommend colors that would represent the colors of the Hungarian flag because I wanted to stitch the sampler in those colors. Ili sent me DMC equivalents and on Friday I purchased my materials to begin the sampler. I know that I said NO NEW STARTS this year and I've broken my promise 4 times so far ( I have such willpower...ha ha) but I could not get this sampler off my mind. I was dreaming of it!

To justify this new start, I decided to stitch it as a memorial to my Grandparents who were from Hungary. I believe they came from a region near the Russian border called Sonkad before they immigrated to the USA. My Aunt Roasza returned to Hungary when she was 13 and lived in Sonkad until she married and moved to Budapest. She lived there with her husband and daughter until they fled the country in 1956 during the Hungarian uprising with Russia.

So today, I began the sampler, I know it's not much of a start but I wanted to share with you what I stitched since I started it. I chose not to stitch it on the Antique White linen I purchased Friday because it did remind me of a Christmas sampler. Instead, I chose to stitch it on a piece of cream belfast linen. I am using AVAS silks - 943 red and 226 green and blanc. I know in the picture, the linen looks grey. I will be personalizing it with my Grandparents names as well as a dedication to them in Hungarian.



I hope to continue working on the sampler today, probably this evening because I will be making an early dinner for the Cadet and some cookies for him to take back with him.

So, off to the kitchen. Talk with you later.

It's Sunday...

I wanted to post some pictures of my recent work. I've stitched sporadically in the last couple of weeks but I did want to document some of my progress.

This is a Prairie Schooler pattern called Autumn Wind. I started it way, way back in the beginning of time as a SAL with Patti and Cathy who finished their pieces probably 2 years ago. OK, I AM SLOW. I am stitching it on 28 count Lugana over one (it's my first attempt at over one stitching and I have to say I am quite pleased with the results.)

Anyway, I want to finish this piece for this Autumn so I am going to participate in an SAL with the gals on the Prairie Schooler BB. The SAL is for the month of August. The plan is to stitch on a Prairie Schooler design on Tuesday and Thursday and post progress pictures on Sunday during the month of August. Since I am over 1/2 way finished, maybe just maybe, I'll have a Happy Dance by September. Let's see if I can maintain focus for 8 days out of the month.

Next is Beatrix Potter. She has my attention right now.

I wasn't really sure about the fiber, it's AVAS 4212 and it's a lovely burnt orange color. It looks really pumpkin-y in this picture. It took quite a while for me to get used to the color but it's growing on me as the sampler grows too. I have the companion piece to this sampler but I am leaning toward a more subtler brown color when I begin that piece. Honestly between us girls, if I had not spent $42 on the hank of silk, I would have chosen a different color. And as I worked on the sampler I thought of switching out the color many times. Now it's a bit too late for switching silks so I'll just finish it up with the burnt orange.

Lastly is my progress on Where My Heart Blooms.

I believe this sampler has it out for me. I literally frogged most of what I stitched on this piece because of counting errors. I think if I did not have a bad case of the frogs, this piece would be finished by now. I think I am over the worst of the frogs now as I am working on the house. I can't say that I love the fabric I am stitching this piece on, it's the recommended R&R fabric. It's very stiff and hard to manage and it has a very open weave. The GAST and Weeks aren't much better, the thread kinks and knots easily. I've found if I dampen the thread it behaves a bit better so that's what I've been doing.

On Friday, I bought the supplies to begin my Hungarian Sampler. I know, I know, I said no new stash until I finish one of the Wips. But it's calling my name!!! I bought red and green silk to stitch the sampler but I may switch out the green for black silk instead. Black and red are traditional Hungarian colors. I wanted to stitch the sampler in the colors of the flag and Ili (THANK YOU!!) helped me out with the colors. Now that I've bought the silks, I am having second thoughts because I am afraid the sampler will look like Christmas. I don't know, maybe I'll just go ahead with what I purchased. I bought an off white linen but maybe I'll switch it out to a creme so that the colors don't jump off the fabric. I'll have to test it out.

The DH and the Cadet are off to motorcycle school this morning so I have some time to stitch. That's what I am going to do when I get off the computer. I am not sure what I want to work on right now, I guess whatever calls the loudest. So the needle is calling and I will say good-bye for now.

Please drop by again and I hope you have a great day!

Exciting news! And a question for my guests

First of all, my question. I am going to begin stitching a sampler from the Hungarian SAL. It's a beautiful piece that you can see on the Hungarian Sampler SAL blog:

I would like to stitch it as a memorial to my grandparents who immigrated from Hungary to the US in 1918. I would like to stitch it in the colors of the Hungarian flag so I am looking for anyone who can tell me what DMC or AVAS silks would match the green, red and white of the flag. Also, if anyone can translate the words, In Fond Rememberance or In Loving Rememberance from English to Hungarian, I'd be thrilled. I want to stitch this in silks so if anyone can give me the colors in AVAS that would be fabulous. I'll stitch it in DMC if I can't find the equivalent silks.

Exciting news from Chez Remodel! At long last we found a contractor who was willing to side the front of the house and the upper right side and replace 5 windows for us. Below are the pictures. We are so excited! The house doesn't look like a slum from the road now! We still have a long way to go, we won't be able to do much more until we save more money to continue but I think spending what was left of my inheritance to finish this little bit was well worth it.

Entire house close up:

Entire house with garage:

Window close up: The contractors finished the outside trim and please excuse the ladder in the window...LOL!!
We do have an issue with the windows, the manufacturer didn't put all the little buttons to mount the grilles in some of the windows so that's why there is no grilles in the upper right window. I contacted Pella and they will come out and fix them and any other windows that don't have the mounting hardware. Now, all we have to do is the interior work, we are going to do all the trim work ourselves because we didn't have the money to have the "Contractor-Who-Is-My-Hero" do it for us. David and I will work together to get it finished. It may take a little time but eventually the interior work will get done!

I do have stitchy pictures too, of Beatrix Potter and Where My Heart Blooms and I got a lovely gift from Alexa that I must show you. True to form the camera has died again so I must wait until it decides to resurrect itself to take more pictures.

Well, I just wanted to share my good fortune with all of you. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for dropping by! Please stop again soon!!

It's picture time!

Hi everyone!

The camera finally cooperated with an infusion of battery. So, I took advantage of the camera's cooperation and finally got pictures of Sandra's beautiful bag that she made me. What a wonderful friend I've made *Down Under*. I just love it and I've gotten a ton of complements on it from my coworkers.


Look at the wonderful toile fabric that she used and the gorgeous lace she used to trim it. So pretty and so feminine.



And this is another of my patriotic finishes, Liberty House from Ewe & Eye & Friends which is destined to become a pinkeep...eventually. I stitched it on 32ct Lambswool linen (I ADORE Lambswool, the color is so warm and most threads just look fabulous whnen stitched on it) with the recommended DMC floss.

Actually, I DID finish an older Lizzie*Kate design into a cube. That piece was buried in my finished pile and it begged to see the light of day. I did change up the design a little, I stitched a ton of little stars that were supposed to be umm-mm fireworks. I did miss the mark but that's ok. I like making cubes, I know a lot of stitchers use a foam block to make the cube but I use 8 sheets of foam core board taped together. That way, I avoid trying to cut the cube down to size and using the foam core ensures that the sides are straight.

And this is the Stacy Nash pinkeep that Sandra sent to me along with the toile purse. It's got a place of honor in the tray that's holding my other smalls. I love Stacy Nash and I've eyed this pattern for a long time.

Don't you love all of these lovelies?

I have stitched a little bit on Where My Heart Blooms and a bit on Beatrix Potter but not enough progress was made to warrant a progress pictures. It's slow going in Chez Oven this last few days, it's been in the 90's and humid so stitching is the last thing I want to do until the evening cools a little bit. That means that I pick up my needle late and only last to put a length or 2 of floss into my piece.

Oh, I do have a question for you. I am contemplating painting some holiday items (Autumn, Winter and Christmas) and I was wondering if I could use you as a sounding board. If I get enough positive responses, I will put them up for sale on Etsy. So what do you think, would you purchase painted things or is decorative painting gone the way of the dinosaur?

Well, I should help David scrap the ceiling...it's only fair. But I really, really want another slice of watermelon and check up on all you!

Stay cool and thank you AGAIN for coming by.

Oh my gosh, you guys!!!

I am overwhelmed by the number of folks that visit this boring blog!!! Geez, I am humbled and grateful to all those who drop by from all over the world, please leave a comment if only to say hey there! Honestly, I have been debating on deleting my blog because I didn't think I got that many visitors. But the feed proved otherwise, so thank you!

We had a 3 day weekend (actually, I had a 4 day weekend cause I took Thursday off as a vacation day, which was wonderful!) to celebrate the fourth of July. We chose to stay close to home only leaving to go to the fireworks and to Lowes for paint and to church. It was so relaxing. I didn't get a lot of stitching done but I did finish Liberty House. True to form, the camera will not cooperate so there are no pictures of that piece or the bag and pinkeep that Sandra made for me. I think it needs new batteries now. I had plans to work on a number of projects but the days were beautiful so I spent a lot of time outdoors putzing with the horses and playing in the flowerbed/gardens.

I've wanted to convert our 3rd bedroom into a home office for the DH for a long time now and we decided this weekend to purchase carpeting for the room and actually begin the process of converting the room from a catch all storage area to a REAL place where he can study and do his homework and grade papers etc. This fall, he will be student teaching and he definitely needs a place to work. So far, he's commandered my kitchen table much to my dismay because he spreads his stuff out over the table and all of a sudden it's his desk and not a place to have meals. Moving him upstairs has been a dream of mine for quite awhile, if he choses to make a mess of his desk then I can just close the door to the room and hid the clutter. I can't do that now in my eat-in kitchen.

Anyway, we bought paint for the walls, a steel blue grey carpet that will be installed in 6 weeks or so and a nifty tool to scrape the acoustic material off the ceiling. We have what is known as cottage cheese ceilings, they are highly textured with this material that actually melts if it gets wet so you can't paint it or clean it properly. We've always wanted to get rid of the ceiling material but were afraid we'd ruin the ceiling. And the Contractor-Who-I-Despise actually told me that if we tried to remove the stuff, we'd ruin the ceiling so he would do it for the lovely tune of $5K...NOT! Actually, DH has removed 1/2 of the ceiling now and it's taken him less than an hour. We will have to sand the perimeters of the ceiling where the tool doesn't reach and sand some of the high spots off. It's definitely messy (a fine layer of drywall dust) and some elbow grease is all it's taking. We've decided to take one room at a time now that we have developed a technique.

So, I've been blog hopping and you guys make me want to start many, many pieces but I am going to be strong and continue to work my wips. I'll post progress soon and hopefully I'll post pictures of the new room AND stitching too!

Hello? Is anyone out there?

I am sorry that I’ve not kept up with my blog recently. I promised myself that I would post more often than once or twice a month but as usual, my execution of that promise produced less than desired results. I am glad though that you continue to hang in there with me and continue to check up on my world. It’s really appreciated and it makes me glow because you and a few of the needlework forums that I visit are really my only connection to the cross stitch world. There really isn’t anyone to share my stitching with, my friends admire my work but wonder why I would want to spend all my free time making little x’s on hole-y cloth. Sharing my interest in stitching with them is not the same as sharing my passion with fellow stitchers who are as in love with and are as passionate as I am about stitching.

Honestly, I haven’t stitched an awful lot in the last few weeks. I worked on an Ewe & Eye & Friends piece called Liberty House in the late evenings because I wanted a new patriotic piece for my house. It’s ¾ of the way stitched but it won’t be made into a pinkeep before the Fourth. And I’ve worked a tiny bit on Where My Heart Blooms. Progress on that sampler is negligable though, I re-stitched what I frogged out, the border and and a few strawberries. So now I am right where I was before I found the mistake and had to pull out most of the right top and right border out. One step back...two steps forward. Story of my stitching life.

Mainly, I’ve filled my stitching time with my horses and my birthday and our anniversary. Also, throw one full day in Saratoga to attend the Jazz Festival (no, I am not a fan but was gifted a ticket along with a whole hearted attempt at conversion) and the result is my stitching time dwindled to almost nothing. In fact, the most time I’ve spend any extended stitching in the last 2 weeks was on the trip to Saratoga (2.5 hours in the car one way) and that’s where I re-stitched the borders on Where My Heart Blooms.

My birthday was June 24th and was spent pretty quietly. I worked and once I got home, the David took me out to an authentic Mexican restuarant which was scrumptious. I got a very nice gift card to a favorite store and a beautiful diamond pendant which was a complete surprise from him. We visited Mike the weekend prior to my birthday and he gave me a windchime for our front porch. We spent the day with him, we took him and his buddy, Charlie to lunch and grocery shopping.

Our 29th anniversary was on June 30th and we spent the evening working in the yard and grooming horses. We will be going out to a nice restuarant on Saturday to celebrate our marriage. It’s amazing to think that I’ve spent more than ½ my life with this wonderful man who loves me in spite of my faults (which number more than a few!). I wouldn’t trade him for all the gold in the world and I’m so blessed to be loved by him.

I need a break from the big projects that I have going now and seem to be taking forever to show any progress at all. I have 2 small finished pieces that I plan on finishing as pinkeeps in addition to Liberty House. I am in a "smalls" mood, small patterns that can be stitched and finished quickly. It shouldn’t take but a few hours to assemble them. They’ve been stitched for a long time and have languished in a dresser drawer just waiting for the time to see the light of day to be finished. My pieces are: The Trilogy’s, Liberty, which was an old freebie, and The Drawn Thread’s, Halloween Spot. I bought all the finishing stuff, backing, ribbons and trims. Now just find the time to put them together. Plus, I can mount 2 smaller pieces to be framed. I’ll take photos the minute I get them done.

Speaking of photos, here’s a tease for you. My friend Sandra made me the nicest bag from beautiful toile fabric, trimmed with antique lace. Sandra also made me a Stacy Nash pinkeep. I promise, promise, promise to take pictures tonight after work of these beautiful items. Sandra, I absolutely love them and I will cherish them always.

The next couple of weeks will be busy at work, we are auditing our business for a new Quality standard. Hopefully, I will not be too tired to keep up with hearth, home, horses and stitching!

So, to all my American friends, please have a safe and happy July 4th!!!! I hope that you spend time with those you love at a picnic and at the fireworks. That's where David and I will be at dusk, watching the fireworks from our little blanket on the lawn of the Presybterian church. The best seat in the house!

HAPPY JULY 4th!!

Quick post...corrected link to Leena's templates

Katrina pointed out that I had Leena's address wrong. I corrected it so that it will go to her blog and not Alexa's (although Alexa has a very NICE blog too!)

I love my new look but I need to know where in the code to put the links to all the blogs that I read. So, Katrina, if you are reading this post (or anyone else who's downloaded Leena's templates) could help me figure out where to put the links.

Thanks for visiting my blog, I am happy that you stopped by!

A new do!!!

I decided to change the look of my blog. The template is from Leena. I love the look but I have to mess with the code to get all my links hooked into it. I miss being able to click on them in the sidebar and come visit you!

I hope you like the new look. It's fresh and fun. I used Passamonta's templates but there was a problem with them and I was so afraid to lose my blog. Funny, I am attached to it!

Anyway, on the stitching front, I am in a Blackbird Designs phase. I've been working on Where My Heart Blooms (I should say frogging it) each night this week. It's a killer though cause the frogs will not leave me alone with this piece. I realized that I made a counting error on the top right on the border (13 stitches, not 12!!) and I had to tear 3 strawberries, that portion of the border and almost all the right side out. It was frustrating but I am almost done restitching that portion. And I have a strong desire to begin Souvenier Sampler. Has anyone joined the fabric together? Any hints or tips?

This will be a quick post, I am late in leaving for my bible study...so I gotta run! More later!

Americana Sampler (LHN)

Fresh off the needle! Americana Sampler from Little House Needleworks. I started it in 2005 and worked on it a little each year. I went great gangbusters in the beginning but found it hard to get into as I stitched on it. But I put my needle to the fabric this year and SWORE that I would finish it! And I did.

Americana Sampling - Limited Edition

Little House Needlework

Cresent Color Cotton fibers

32ct Flax linen

The lovely Ella Kitty. I thinks she's adorable but Mike will be taking her back to Rochester next week. I've been campaigning to have her live here but he will hear none of that crazy talk.

And look at this glorious peony! From MY garden! It's as big as a dinner plate and smells divine. I have an abundance of peonies this year. And I love them so much!

Lastly, a bit of a brag, I built that little rock wall (granted it's only 3 courses high) by my own hands over Memorial day weekend. The David did not lift a finger except to remove the sod when we extended it an extra 2 feet in width to match the edge of the sidewalk. It looks good if I do say so myself and I am PROUD of myself to follow through on a vision until it was finished. I was dog tired after I finished it that weekend but I haven't stopped grinning when I look at it.

(Excuse the house, it's f-ugly and the boys waxing the big truck in the backyard.)

I hope you had a great weekend, stitching and having a wonderful day with your Daddy. Mine is in heaven but I felt his presence all day. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD..with love from your girl....

The Weekend News

Thanks for the kind words everyone on my little basket that I made for the Quaker exchange on Legacy! I had a blast making this little basket, I did sweat a little when I stretched the second piece over the mat board lid. I was worried that it wouldn't be centered on the lid and it would be off center against it's mate. It's not a hard piece to make just a bit fiddley.

Jackie, it's my own design, if you'd like I can mail you the instructions on how to construct one. I want to make one for me, so maybe I'll get the DH to help take some photos of the construction.

Mike came home from Combative training. He passed the Level 1 Clinch test (if you want to know what that is, just google Army clinch test and you will have a plethora of you tube videos to choose from.) The lovely Jenna is in Australia, a bit homesick right now. I hope she works through it. She sent Mike some pictures of where she is staying, it's right off the beach. The view from her balcony is of the marina and the beach is about a 3 minute walk from her apartment. The group she's with lucked out for accomodations, the dorms were filled so they are in a furnished suite in a resort. Lucky girl. Just keep her in your thoughts, she's struggling a bit being on the other side of the world by herself.

Because Mike was home this weekend, my needle was idle. I've been working to finish a LHN pattern for the 4th of July. I passed the original pattern on to Sue and I only have a little bit left to do on the border and underneath the basket of flags. I decided to leave off the 1776-2005 date and replace it with a row of stars. I thought I'd be finished with this little sampler by now but honestly, it's deceptively a lot of work! I am close to a happy dance though, only an hour or so left of stitching so I hope to be tappin' my toes soon! If I can find an unfinished flat face frame, I have an idea on how to paint it for this piece.

Then it's onto the next Wip, although I am contemplating starting a few *small* pieces for July 4th. This isn't cast in stone, though, even though I pulled out patterns, linen and thread. I'd like to make a small basket of pinkeeps, cushions and ornaments of small patriotic designs. I pulled a bunch of Lizzie*Kate, LHN, Bent Creek and Heart In Hand smallish pieces. We'll have to see how the rest of the month goes. Otherwise, I'll be working on Where My Heart Blooms and Beatrix Potter. Beatrix has risen to the top of the heap because I promised the pattern to a friend after I am finished with it so I feel a little obligated to work on her and get her done so I can pass the pattern on to my friend.

Speaking on BBD, have you seen the newest Loose Feather and the first 2 parts of the *Mystery Sampler*? Oh my! I can't wait till they arrive at my door.

Check them out:

Mystery Sampler

Blessings and Kind Wishes

Well, I really have to run! Talk to you later!

Quaker basket

A finish for me! Happy Dance!

It's a Quaker design for an exchange on Legacy. I don't believe my partner reads my blog so I think I am safe in posting the pictures. I am really happy how this worked out, I almost didn't finish it this way because it's a fiddlely thing to make. I do wish that I used a different basket, because the swing handles on the Nantucket basket move, the lid doesn't stay where I want it to. I am toying with attaching a button on each side of the basket and then a loop on each side the lid.

I purchased the basket at the Christmas Tree Shoppe, don't ya just love a bargain!

Memorial Day

I've been thinking about today and what it means to me. Until very recently, Memorial Day was the start of summer and I looked forward to a 3 day weekend.

But today, it's different.

We put the flag outside and I really looked at it and thought about all the men and women who proudly serve in our armed forces, who went to war and came home to those who supported them or not...who went to war despite their fear and learned to be brave. To those who fought and gave their lives for us, for ME so that I can do anything and be free.

I thought about what I wanted to write here about Memorial Day but there are no words that convey what I feel...except THANK YOU.

Thank you Dad, for serving in the Navy during WWII in the Sea of Japan.
Thank you, Uncles for serving in the branches of the militaryyou chose, whether you enlisted or were drafted, for those who saw battles and those of you who didn't.
Thank you Terry, for serving in the AirForce during a time of relative peace. You didn't have to go to war but you would have if you were asked.
Thank you Mike, for your unbridled patriotism and willingness to give the AirForce all of you. I pray that you never have to go to Iraq but I know that you will, someday.

And thank you to all the veterans, for your sacrifices. For without you, would we really be the land of the free?

Progress Photos

Real Quick...American Idol is on!!! Go David Cook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where My Heart Blooms

Blackbird Designs

Nellie's Garden Revisited

Homespun Elegance

Do you like them?

I've got a bad case of startitus

But I am restraining myself! This weekend, I am working on Blackbird Designs, Where Your Heart Blooms. It is the piece that is calling my name the loudest right now but I need to finish up my Quaker exchange. I am at a crossroads for finishing it so I think that's why I am avoiding stitching it. If I chose to finish it one way I have in mind, then I should continue stitching the entire motif. If I go the other way then I need to stop stitching it and start it over again (2 halves). I think that if I go the second finishing route and then mess it up, I am going to be really upset cause I am cutting it quite close for mailing. Knowing me, I'll take the easy way out but I really want to try the second way to finish it. The second way really isn't difficult, just fiddly. It will look bad if I don't exactly mount both halves the same way....decision!

Where My Heart Blooms is coming along but I have to say that I do not like stitching eyelets. They never look right for me and they take a LONG time for me to stitch. Those blackbirds on the top of the sampler have taken a lot of time and I have 2 more complete ones to stitch. I started the house cause it's mindless work. That's fine cause I can stitch the house on autopilot.
I'll post a picture later cause I have to get ready to go to church.

I've pawed through my stash and pulled out more patterns for my growing list of I NEED TO STITCH THIS! I chose a Mary Garry design and a Little House Needlework pattern. I don't know if and when I will begin them but I will tell you browsing blogs is bad for you cause I saw both of the patterns stitched and it made me want to kit them up and begin them right away!
Bad blogs, bad computer!

The weekend is going very fast. Yesterday, David putzed in the yard, I helped him string a plastic fence around the little salad garden to keep the Wonderdog out. She's pretty unhappy about the fence cause she LOVES to garden (smashing down the plants)...she's a big help. And I did some raking and I started getting my containers ready to plant. It won't be long now before I go and pick out my annuals for the pots.

The rest of the day was spent playing with my horses (barn chores and some grooming) and watching the Preakness. Gosh, Big Brown is phenomenal! He didn't even look like he broke a sweat racing that distance! Do you think we will have a Triple Crown winner this year?

Mike and Jenna are coming home on Wednesday for a few days before Mike has to leave for Kansas City and his hand-to-hand combat training. We will be putting him on a plane bright and early Saturday morning and then driving Jenna back to Rochester. She leaves for Brisbane Australia on June 3rd for a work/study. She's pretty bummed out cause she will not get to see Mike until August. I remember those days, I said goodbye to David a few times for an extended period. I think this will be good for them but I hope that she doesn't get too discouraged and gives him a hard time about LONG distant relationships. She gives him a great deal of consternation during the school year about being 2 hours apart. I am wondering how they will deal with being at opposite ends of the earth! WOW.

Anyway, I need to get off the computer now, I have to get myself in gear and go get ready for church. More later!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all! I wish every Mom a wonderful day. Today is somewhat bittersweet, my Mom has been in Heaven now for 12 years. And I miss her. A lot. Especially now, when I find myself on the cusp of another life change. My boy, the Cadet, has announced to the DH and me his intentions to ask the lovely Jenna to marry him. The engagement will happen in the late Summer, my guess is August or early September. He is incredibly happy and knows she is the one. First though, as all romantics are, he wants to ask her father for her hand. No wedding plans just yet, he and Jenna have another year of school and then he has to see where the Air Force sends him.

I watched this boy grow into a man in the blink of an eye and God has mightily blessed us with him. And I smile cause out of all the things my DH and I have accomplished in the 50 years we've walked this planet, he IS our greatest accomplishment. I think we did well and I thank God daily for the awesome priviledge to be a Mom to such a wonderful young man.

Because it's Mother's Day, I worked on Nellie's Garden Revisited. Remember when I told you that I wanted to start a memorial sampler for my Mom? A few weeks ago, I started it but didn't have enough to post a progress picture. Today, this is the fruit of my labor. I will continue to work on it tonight and remember my Mom, the gentle lady who sacrificed for my brother and me.

The colors are the recommended GAST fibers but I switched out the fabric to Lakeside Navy Bean because the LNS didn't have any of the Vintage Autumn Field. I bought the Lakeside in 32 count because it was awesomely distressed and had the same brown hue as the recommended fabric. I put a few stitches in it and decided that I didn't want to railroad the stitches so I pawed through my stash for a piece of 36 count that I squirreled away for a project such as this. I am quite pleased with how it's stitching up, the colors are soft and muted. I am once again sorry for the crappy picture, the colors are no where near what they are in real life.

My day was good, very low key. Mike called this afternoon, David and I just hung around. We made grilled salmon which was absolutely tasty. He gave me a Martha Washington geranium hanging basket and another bird feeder (I think it was for him...really.) All in all, a very nice day.

Anyway, I want to share with you a picture of how Chrissy the Wonderdog spent her Sunday. Doesn't she look comfy? She pulls all the blankets off the sofa and makes a bed for herself. I am constantly washing them!

Hope you all had a great weekend and I wish you a wonderful week ahead. Mine will be busy, a potential Customer assessment Tuesday and Wednesday. I am heavily involved with this assessment so I'd appreciate good thoughts and prayers for me as I answer the audit questions. I am a little nervous. Tomorrow, I will be reading up on all the processes that I will be audited on. So THIS is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the questioning....

A Total Waste of Time....

Have you ever worked on a week’s worth of stitching and every stitch that you’ve made that week has to be frogged because you weren’t paying attention?

Well, that’s what most of my week’s stitching amounted to, especially Sunday’s stitching - pretty much a waste of time. This week’s stitching comprised of trying to stitch a freebie biscornu from Barbara Ana’s designs called Buzzing Around Biscornu, a freebie found on Cyberstitchers, and working on another Blackbird Design.

The biscornu is a cute bumblebee pattern and I thought erroneously, that it would be an easy to stitch and easy to finish little piece, something that would give me a bit of instant gratification.




How wrong I was! I stitched two bumblebees on the top row but when I stitched the third bee, I realized that the one above it was one stitch over too far. Looking at the pattern, I realized that I because I made a mistake in the placement of second bee, both the second bumblebee and the one immediately underneath it was one stitch over too far. I did this while watching American Idol. That will teach me from having one eye on the TV and the other on the pattern.

Rip, rip, rip.

I thought my stitching was possessed cause no matter what I stitched on that biscornu, it was in the wrong place, either off to the left or right or up or down a row. It was maddening.

I hoped the weekend stitching would be better.

Regarding my stitching for the weekend, I had 3 goals in mind:
1.) Stitch one length of thread in each of my current Wips - Accomplished
2.) Stitch a little on my Quaker exchange - Accomplished
3.) Pick one project and work on it for an extended period on Sunday night while watching TV

The weather on Saturday turned out to be better than predicted so I didn’t spend as much time as I hoped with my needle. I spent a lot of time outside playing with the horses, messing with the gardens, going for a walk, doing laundry and vacuuming. Plus, I watched the Derby, cheered for Big Brown but was deeply saddened by the loss of that beautiful filly, Eight Belles....It was a terrible, terrible thing to happen and I am sorry for the farm, the trainer and the jockey...and most of all the horse. Such a waste.

Anyway, I digress.

During the little time I spent stitching on Saturday evening, I worked on my goals of stitching a length of thread into my current Wips and working on my Quaker exchange. All was well and I thought I broke the frogging spell that plagued my stitching during the week. I was really looking forward to Sunday’s stitching because I was seriously enjoying it. Correcting the mistake on the biscornu would wait until another day.

On Sunday after we got home from church and did the basic horse chores, I knew the day would be MINE. See, we have this quaint, old fashioned notion that Sunday is a day of rest and after church and taking care of the critters, there is no work on Sunday. I cook a nice meal, make a great desert and that’s the extent of the expected things I do on any given Sunday. We use it to recharge and regroup for the coming week and Sunday is MY day with my needle or the paper or a good book. My day was planned, read the paper, go for a walk and groom my muddy horses. That left my stitching for Sunday evening but that was ok.

I decided that my Sunday evening stitching project would be Blackbird Designs, Where My Heart Blooms. I haven’t worked on it for a few weeks and it was calling me. I decided to stitch all the flower motifs that the blackbirds sit on. It was the most logical place to start because I finished the upper border and a good portion of the side borders. I put my fabric in the hoop and began to merrily stitch away...I was in the zone, in the groove, UNTIL I took the fabric out of the hoop to check out my handiwork. It was then that I realized that I stitched the wrong flower under each of the birds because I did not stitch the first bird in the row. I stitched the first flower under the 2nd bird and the 2rd flower under the 3rd bird...all the way across the row. And for the last hour of the evening, I spent ripping out each of those flowers and stitching the first bird.

All that thread.

All that time.

All because I wasn’t paying attention.

Gosh I hope things go better this week!

Their Song Framed- So what do ya think??

I picked up Their Song from Michaels on Thursday. Here it is in all it's framed beauty! I am pleased with my frame choice and I have to say it IS straight in the frame...LOL!!! (Sorry for the flash, I am a lousy photo editor and as hard as I tried I couldn't get the flash out of the picture so that it looked ok.)

Their Song

Blackbird Designs

36ct Antique White Linen

Weeks Dye Works cotton fiber

The puppy who initially waited on me and gave me such a hassle over a mat was there when I picked it up. And true to my black heart, I couldn't resist saying something to him about how straight the needlework was in the frame. He didn't say a lot, except that it did come out nice.

I didn't tell him that it took me about 4 hours to properly stretch and lace it to the foam core. I understand why they wouldn't take the time to do the stretching correctly as it IS labor intensive and they would lose money. Although, my normal framer charges the same hourly labor rate and they ensure that the piece is stretched straight...

I would go back there and let them do the final assembly for pieces again now that I know I can stretch my needlework, particularly small pieces cause you can't beat 40-60% off coupons. I'll use my framer for big projects or things I want to become heirlooms. Plus my framer has a better selection of frames than Michaels, so if I am looking for a particular look or mat or frame, I'll go to the Beveled Edge.

Today is Kentucky Derby Day! I am so looking forward to watching the race! I don't have a favorite this year (actually, I just watch for the beauty of it all). I am disappointed that the field is 20 horses though, it's a big race, a lot of traffic for the best horses to wade through. It's a definite disadvantage because unless they break cleanly and get a good position right at the start the race is essentially over for them. It seems that everyone who qualifies and can ante up the dollars to run the Derby puts their horse in that race just to say they ran it. I miss the times when the field was small and you'd have 2 or 3 horses slugging it out the entire race. And although it takes a lot of money to run, I loved it when Smarty Jones ran, what a story. The little guy who breaks his back training a horse to greatness ridden by a local jockey is where it's at for me, not a horse backed by big money.

I haven't missed a race in 30 years. So this year, I am going to plop myself down in front of the TV with my needlework and watch all the preview hype and then the race. YAY!!!

And about all the DMC hype...thanks for all your comments, there are so many conflicting stories now, it's hard to tell what's truth or rumor. But I am (like many others) going out and kitting up some of the patterns that I know that I want to stitch and are coded for DMC. Can you image if DMC does go belly up? DMC will get scarce, the overdyed folks who use it as a base will have to find another comparable source and prices are sure to go up for those trying to purchase any of it at all. And honestly, I don't want to have to convert to Anchor because it's more expensive than DMC, none of the big craft stores carry it so I won't be able to just run to AC MOORES or Michaels in the evening when I'm out shopping for groceries to pick up a skein or two and I really don't want another set of fibers. But I will do what I have to do to continue with my hobby.

Ok, enough soapbox....the Dyson and the laundry are calling me.

Hope you all have a nice weekend and I am so happy that you've stopped by to chat.

You know, sometimes I just get scared........

Sometimes I let my emotions and my fears bubble up like a thick, foul tasting goo...and I get scared. Scared because of gas prices (currently $3.70 here, up 15 cents in 3 days!), I wonder what fuel oil is going to go for this winter (last year, my monthly budget was $300 a month!) and what will a bale of hay go for this summer? I've heard everything from $2.50 - $4.00 a bale.

It seems like everything is collapsing, going toes up. Prices up, my salary not so much. My grocery bill is up. I've consolidated my errands into one trip per week. We've cut back from driving anywhere unnecessary.

And then, I came across this article on Legacy:

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSL2992875220080429

DMC has filed for credit protection. What will we do without DMC?

I shudder to think..........

Military Ball and Stitching News

On Friday night, David and I attended the AirForce ROTC Military Ball. It was a dinner/dance/awards ceremony for the Cadets. We were all dolled up in our evening attire:


Mike really cleans up good, don't you think?
Dinner was scrumptious and Mike was awarded 2 certificates for leadership. We are very proud of him. There was a dance following the awards ceremony, but of course, we didn't stay long. We didn't want to embarrass the kids with our dancing...LOL!!!

On Saturday, we took Mike's motorcycle to the repair shop (what an adventure that was!), made the rounds of the stores in the Mall because Mike needed some things for when he goes to Combative School at the end of May. Did I tell you that he's going to learn the fine art of hand-to-hand combat? I can't wrap my head around that at all.

We met Jenna's parents at one of the local steakhouses for lunch. Jenna's parents are so nice and we felt very comfortable with them. I have to say that I was sorta nervous about the whole thing, I am not a good conversationalist and Mike made me promise not to embarrass him too much. I think I kept that to a minimum and I think Jenna's parents thought we were ok too.
We got home in the early evening. All in all, we had a wonderful time with our son, his girlfriend and her parents!

On the stitching front, I finished Blackbird Designs, Their Song.

I want to get it framed right away and the week I put the last stitches in it, Michaels had a 60% off coupon for framing. Against my better judgement, I decided to give it a go. Well, I won't be going back there to have anything framed. The puppy behind the counter was pretty condescending. I asked him a 100 questions and he insisted that I put a mat on the piece because he told me that they wouldn't be able to stretch it evenly and the mat would hide it. Are you kidding, I thought? If it's stretched crooked, how will putting a mat on it straighten it out? I sorta raised my eyebrow at him and he stammered, "You know something about framing, don't you?" Yeah, I do and I told him I knew he was bullsh*tting me. He turned crimson and said, "Well the average person doesn't know anything about framing". So I politely said to him that I would stretch the piece myself and when the materials come in they can call me to bring the piece in to finish framing it. I only brought it to Michaels because I knew it would cost me less than $50 to have it framed. But never again. It's worth it to take my needlework to the real framer, even though it costs much more than the local arts and crafts store. I guess trying to pinch pennies doesn't mean much when compared to the amount of time I spent stitching it. I've learned my lesson!!

Next is my progress on Nellie's Garden Revisited and 2 new acquisitions to my ever growing stash. I love Stacy Nash! The left photo is her 1802 Biscornu Pinkeep and the right is Emma & her Pony needleroll. Sorry for the blurry pictures, the camera is refusing to focus if I zoom in.

I haven't worked on Nellie since last week. I am not in the mood for big pieces so I am concentrating on stitching smalls. They are giving me instant gratification so there's instant satisfaction. But I am surprised how long it's taking me to stitch them up too!

Right now, I am in the mood for quick finishes. I have the attention span of a gnat right now so large projects aren't holding my attention. Soon, I will have a new mattress style pincushion and 2 pillow type pincushions. I am piecing together the Mary Garry's, Raining Pins and Needles right now. I hope I haven't ruined it though cause I got the bright idea to angle the corners instead of making it a rectangle. The corners are coming out rounded. We will see how it comes together. I took a picture of it but true to my crappy camera, the photo was so blurred you couldn't make it out. Now the camera refuses to come on...grr-rr so I can't take another picture of it.

The weekend is beautiful, it's like summer here. We planted (or I should say, the David) planted 4 forsythia and 2 lilac bushes for me this morning. I know how he hates digging holes for me cause he thinks it's going to be more work for him. I bought these plants at the Christmas Tree Store and didn't pay more than $3.99 - $4.99 for them so if they don't make it, I'm not out much money at all.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful that you stopped by to say hi!